Apps are developed for a wide variety of purposes. There are different types of Apps. For example, native Apps are downloaded, installed and run on devices. A native App is written for a specific kind of device or platform. Native Apps take advantage of the various functions available on a device. On the other hand, Web Apps reside on a server. A device accesses a Web App through its browser. By being browser-based, any device with a browser can access Web Apps. In other words, Web Apps are not platform or device type-specific. However, Web Apps cannot cross the boundaries of web browsers, thus restricting access to some system-specific resources.
A hybrid App is another type of App. Hybrid Apps combine elements of both native and Web Apps. Hybrid apps provide benefits of both native and Web Apps. For example, hybrid Apps can be accessed through a browser while having access to various functions and features of a device. However, deployment of hybrid Apps requires significant efforts and time. For example, properly setting up the native development environment and preparing the required web contents is very complex and prone to errors. Updating of a hybrid App also requires significant effort. For example, when a hybrid App is updated, the corresponding native development environment is also required to be upgraded and updated accordingly.
From the foregoing discussion, it is desirable to provide an approach to automatically deploy and update hybrid Apps without complicated environment setting.